A Funny Moment By Isaac Ostrow Comedy isn't pretty. “I don’t get no respect, no respect at all, I tell ya.” ~Rodney Dangerfield Humor’s power in interactions is incalculable. It was humor that taught me the importance of friendship. When my friendships were tentative, when all of my friends were tense, I knew that humor would always liberate the lubricating oils of friendship. This was never more clear to me than when at a LAN party with three of my closest friends. We were unsure of what we were doing next, and CS:GO 2v2s had been growing old. Luckily, humor was there to free up the flow of the night. I had tossed a flash bang at Rowan, for no other purpose than to enrage him. Our poor host threw up his hands, threw out his headset, and bellowed: “One more god dammed flash bang, and I’m leaving!” We appeased him and gently lulled him into silence, which was induced by the false sense of security. Brad and I wore down Cam and Rowan, and the next round dawned. Seizing the opportunity, I bought a flashbang. I called a time out and pulled up the song “Handclap”, by Fitz and the Tantrums on my phone. You see, Rowan has a habit, in extreme rage, of clapping his hands. The song’s chorus, which I skipped to, says: “I can make your hands clap”. The round started with one last fleeting lie, that I had sworn off stun grenades. Little did Rowan... Read more →

Isaac Ostrow Literary Analysis Paragraph Walden: Economy4/13/18 True Charity An explication of the theme of false philanthropy in Walden “Be sure that you give the poor the aid they most need, though it be your example which leaves them far behind.” Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish, and you feed him for life. In the chapter Economy by Henry David Thoreau, Thoreau chastises so-called philanthropists who do not truly help those in need. In fact, Thoreau is so certain in the basis of his conviction that he nearly constantly emphasizes self-reliance in his own life throughout Economy. Pondering the poor Irish ice workers, one who has happened to fall through the ice specifically, Thoreau offered him garments and a place to warm the himself. When the ice worker strips down his many layers, Thoreau realizes the futility of what he’s done. In a critical moment, he professes: “There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root, and it may be that he who bestows the largest amount of time and money on the needy is doing the most by his mode of life to produce that misery which he strives in vain to relieve.” {Fitz’s Walden, The Fallacy of Philanthropy.} Even though Thoreau has gone on many a fruitless tirade on the charitable, he makes a good point; for it is better to teach a man to fish than catch... Read more →

Isaac Ostrow Literary Analysis Paragraph Walden: Economy4/13/18 True Charity An explication of the theme of false philanthropy in Walden “Be sure that you give the poor the aid they most need, though it be your example which leaves them far behind.” Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish, and you feed him for life. In the chapter Economy by Henry David Thoreau, Thoreau chastises so-called philanthropists who do not truly help those in need. In fact, Thoreau is so certain in the basis of his conviction that he nearly constantly emphasizes self-reliance in his own life throughout Economy. Pondering the poor Irish ice workers, one who has happened to fall through the ice specifically, Thoreau offered him garments and a place to warm the himself. When the ice worker strips down his many layers, Thoreau realizes the futility of what he’s done. In a critical moment, he professes: “There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root, and it may be that he who bestows the largest amount of time and money on the needy is doing the most by his mode of life to produce that misery which he strives in vain to relieve.” {Fitz’s Walden, The Fallacy of Philanthropy.} Even though Thoreau has gone on many a fruitless tirade on the charitable, he makes a good point; for it is better to teach a man to fish than catch... Read more →

Why is it that every time I have to speak The words dribble about of my mouth like a worm from a beak? My brain just decides “why don’t I screw him over?” I am about as lucky as a leafless clover But the adrenaline that you get from the people There is no feeling like that in the world that is equal The fun of life is the ride itself The story about the elf on the shelf The bumps and bruises you get on the way The thought of knowing that you’ll be ok Although I might freeze in front of a crowd After you're done you will feel proud So before you send off a scary thought You will always remember the experience you got. Read more →

Listen to Episode #1: I'm So Confuuused Episode #1 Read more →

These posts are written in the greater Boston area, and have a slant as such. So haters of the Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics, Bruins and Revolution are cautioned. It is unlikely that your views will align with ours. Enjoy! Read more →

Nothing Gold Can Stay Life is fleeting. It is to be enjoyed.~Tori Amos All pleasure in life is ephemeral. In the poem Nothing Gold Can Stay, by Robert Frost, Frost connects the short-lived New England springs to the fleeting senses of euphoria in life. There is no guarantee that pleasure will last, and when it does not, the antithesis of joy may come in its place: “Then leaf subsides to leaf, so Eden sank to grief” [Line 5-6, Nothing Gold Can Stay] Frost tells his short story in a poem chronologically, starting at the beginning of spring. “Nature’s first green is gold, her hardest hue to hold.” [Line 1-2, Nothing Gold Can Stay] After the flowers and trees bud, Frost conjures images of young spring flowers. Like the tulip sprouting from the near-frozen ground in late march, joy, in whatever form it may take, may be puny and insignificant. As dawn goes down to day, pleasure sinks to content, and further to melancholy. Frost’s poem is a poignant reminder to savor the moment, delivered in eight brief lines. Nothing gold can stay, but this poem will. Leaves will fade, wilt, and glide down into their grave. But, as always, life will begin anew. By Isaac Ostrow & Cam Fries Read more →

Despite its early release, Bluehole’s Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds has been an amazing experience to behold. What sets this game apart from others is the fact that it is a battle royal style game. There aren’t many games of the like on the market right now, except DayZ or H1Z1, which have been popular in the past, but have been declining due to lack of content and lack of players. Battlegrounds captures the essence of those games, such as the amount of confusion you feel when you are getting shot at form three different angles, or when you are the last one alive, the pride and excitement you feel. All of this has succeeded in pulling me into the game and spending hours on end playing solos or jamming it out with a couple of friends. Despite its early release, Bluehole’s Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds has been an amazing experience to behold. What sets this game apart from others is the fact that it is a battle royal style game. There aren’t many games of the like on the market right now, except DayZ or H1Z1, which have been popular in the past, but have been declining due to lack of content and lack of players. Battlegrounds captures the essence of those games, such as the amount of confusion you feel when you are getting shot at form three different angles, or when you are the last one alive, the pride and excitement you feel. All of this has succeeded in pulling me into... Read more →

“Every age has its storytelling form, and video gaming is a huge part of our culture. You can ignore or embrace video games and imbue them with the best artistic quality. People are enthralled with video games in the same way as other people love the cinema or theatre.”~Andy Serkis Today, gamers are seen as brain dead humans who are enslaved by their passion. Most people to don’t care to look deeper into how these games actually effect us. They say it induces violence, kills brain cells, is addicting, and ruins our lives. Although all we get from video games is joy. Gamers are mostly look down upon as lonely nerds who are throwing their life away. Yet, gamers are almost never like that. And the negative label on gaming is unnecessary and untrue. The countless rolling-on-the-floor laughing moments are a more important part of gaming than any killing, and those moments happen seamlessly from miles apart or sharing a table. It is our hope that tomorrow, gamers are viewed as mainstream, a common passion that is embraced by all. Our little group is already there. Enabled by our parents and their bank accounts, a little niche of our school community has been carved out by the gamers. Regardless of platform, we have intellectual discussions and laugh until our sides hurt. Outside of school, we will bring our PCs and laptops and monitors to each other’s houses and game the nights away. Our band of brothers would seem way out... Read more →

I wake up this morning to the rising sun But then I remember my homework's not done I can't tell my parents because they'll be mad But if I don't finish my grade will be bad I get dressed and run down the stairs To my mom yelling that the an is almost there. I think to myself, this is not good, last night I got distracted by the Jew crew brotherhood I get to school and get right on my science But I couldn't get work done becasue my friends were defiant I finally finished and was late for class too Then I realized thsat I still had math to do I head off to class thinking: "how can I do it?" But then I realized that I can just jew it I snapped and then Moses appeared He looked pretty classy with his long white beard "What is your wish, my fellow Jew?" "I wish for my math homework to be done before the dew." "Your wish has been granted, my fellow Jew" My math homework was done, sections one, three, and two. Thank you Moses, you are the best. No problem, my friend. May your life be blessed. Then he disappeared, as most Moses's do. After this, I felt my Jewiness grew. I headed out to math with a confident stride I pulled out my homework with so much pride "What are you smiling about?" My math teacher said. I smiled and laughed knowing I had a... Read more →